You need a World History credit, but you want something different. You want a way to connect the dots, think critically, and understand history as a story that’s still unfolding.
🔍In this class you will:
- Investigate themes in human behavior across cultures and eras
- Read and analyze primary and secondary sources (documents, letters, speeches, images)
- Explore context through films, lecture, discussion, and creative projects
- Connect past to present through current events and global issues
- Build strong skills in critical thinking, comparative analysis, and argumentation
💡 Each unit begins with a central question and ends with thoughtful discussion, synthesis, and insight, helping students develop a strong grasp of both continuity and change throughout history. Students gain:
- A deeper understanding of world history through a lens of ideas, not just chronology
- Transcript-ready academic work that aligns with high school social studies requirements
- A greater ability to analyze complex texts, form arguments, and engage in meaningful dialogue
- A more informed view of today’s world—grounded in the lessons of the past
🧭Part 2 dives into the following themes:
- How have humans created and enforced the concept of gender expectations? How have those expectations been challenged?
- What have humans invented to make their lives easier, or to ensure success? What consequences have we experienced because of those inventions?
- How have humans worked to bring about political or social change in the world?
Is There Homework?
Yes! Students will be provided with weekly assignments (reading, watching, listening, writing) to do in advance of class meetings. Students can expect to spend 2-3 hours outside of class each week on work to prepare for class.
Can A Student Earn A Grade?
Yes! Grades are based on class participation (35%), weekly written journal responses (35%) and a final project (30%). Class participation can be by voice or by chat. If either of those are a hurdle for a student, other options are available. Students receive weekly feedback on their work, and can choose to receive a progress report midway through the semester.
Is This An “Honors” Course?
An honors or advanced designation is decided by a school district or state department of education. Homeschooling parents choose how to designate the classes their learners engage in. Students who want additional rigor are provided with a “Digging Deeper” option that adds additional homework material, higher standards for written assignments, and are required to do a final project.
Approximate Weekly Schedule
Week 1: Welcome and intro to the first theme; women in the ancient world
Week 2: Queen Elizabeth I; Queen Ana Nzinga Mbunda
Week 3: Mary Wollstonecraft; women opposed to suffrage
Week 4: Oui Jin; Huda Shaarawi
Week 5: Historical noodling for theme 1; Intro to theme 2
Week 6: Assessing the impact of human inventions; the Silk Road
Wek 7: The African salt and gold trade; the Aztecs and the natural world
Week 8: Leonardo DaVinci and city planning; economic theories
Week 9: Wrap up to theme 2 and intro to theme 3; the Abbasid Empire
Week 10: The Protestant Reformation; the French Revolution
Week 11: The Haitian Revolution; the British in Burma
Week 12: Ghandi in India; The Guatemalan Civil War
Week 13: The Velvet Revolution; Art and Music in modern revolutions
Week 14: Historical noodling – synthesis, analysis, and final projects
